Detachable conning-tower and life-buoy.



CARL KAnMrrEn, or WEST Honour-n, new ennsnr. Q

ran'racnaiitn oouiimegrowsn Ann LIFE-BUGS.

' To all whom it my concern Be it known that I, CARL KAEMPFER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Detachable Conning- Tower and Life-l3uoy, of which the follow-- ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improved type of conning tower adapted for use especially in connection with submarine vessels.

Among the OlJJQCtS of the invention is to provide a conning tower in the nature of a buoy, the main portion of which is housed normally within the outline of a submarine boat or its equivalent, but having a portion projecting suiociently above the hull of the boat to provide means for an observer sta tioned therein to view in all directions along or over the surface of the water, the main portion of the device being adapted, how-' evento be detached from its normal position and allowed to float to the surface of the Water in the event of the stranding of the vessel, or under other circumstances.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a conning tower so connected to the submarine to be despatched from the same to the surface of the water while the submarine is located at any suitable distance below the st lace whereby observations may be mace along or over the surface of the water at anytime irrespective of the depth at which the vessel maybe locatedbelow the 7 surface.

Y'Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of partshereinaitter (lQSQ-l'lllfill and claimed, and while the inven- .tion i not restricted to the exact details of t on disclosed herein, still for they pum of illustrating a practical embodi inset thereof reference is had to the accoml I I i I panying drawing in which, the figure is a vertical. sectional view indicating a pre- :t'eirecl.embodiment of the invention in norand position in connection with a submarine boat.

. show arigld' casing ll! of any suitable ize or form secured rigidly in place Specification of Letters Patent;

.lteterringnew;moreparticularly to the drawing, 1

Patented June so, 191s.

Application filed December 14., 1915. Serial No. 66,741.

mainly within the hull 11 of the'submarine or other vessel. 'lhe top of the casing is open and provided with a flaring flange 12. The bottom 13 of the casing is normally closed, but is provided with a watertight guide member 1e having apacking gland 15 secured on its lower end and'having a nipple 16 extending upwardly therefrom and surroundedby a rubber gasketl7 or the like. The bottom 13 is also-tapped and fitted with a pipe 18which may beunderstood as representing means for'pumping-water out of the casing, means (not shown) being provided as usual for ejecting water from the inside of the vessel. A trap door=19 is pro- 1 vided in connection with the bottom 13, the same being adapted to be held shut by a hasp20 which may be operated from either the inside or the outside of the casing."

At 21' is indicated the body ofthe buoy having a downward conical projection 22 and any suitable number or location of'transverse partitions or braces 23 and 242 These partitions may be regarded as floors-separating the interior 'of the buoy 'into aplu- "rality of compartments; An opening 23"in floor Or partition 23 and a similar openmg 24. in the other floor'serve' to "enable the men to pass'from one compartment to the other; A trap door "25 is provided in 'conT nection with the lower conical end of the buoyand' is normally held' 'closed by a hasp 26 of a. character similar to theh'asp 20 and adapted to be operated either on' the'inside or the outside of the buoy." The. lower end also is reinforced by side ribs '27,

At'28 I provide a rigid, strong-shoulder fixed in place against the inner wall of the casing 10 not 'far below the open upper end thereof. [This shoulder carries a v packing gland or gasket 29 of a good quality of rubber or its equivalent, and a'corr'esponding shoulder 30 is secured rigidly to the outside of the buoy, the same-having a flaring or frusto conical surface adapted to cooperate directly with the gasket 29mal ing a watertight seal or connectionbetween the buoy and the casing, I i

A power cable 31 passes through the packing gland l5, guide member 14 and gasket 17, and thence through the central CTR - form of a coil spring seated in :1 socket 36 at the center of the spider. The point is made watertight by mean of a. packing gland 3? so arranged, however, to permit a slight movcmei'it of the cable therethrough as allowed by the resiliency of the sprin 35.

The power cable will be understood as leading in any suitable direction within the hull of the vessel to any approved form of wmdlziss or the like (not shown, but COll1- monly used on shipboard), whereby the .coble i'nay be manipulated to control the position or action of the buoy. Electric wires SSmay be carried within the cable for the purpose of providing means of communication between an operator in the conning tower portion of the buoy and the interior of t ic ship. A telephone is shown as an indication of means whereby such com inuni *ation may be had and through which the men in the conning tower may convey such information to the commander of the ship to enable the maneuvering of the ship in. effect to be directed from/the conning tower.

The top of the conning tower is provided with any suitable number or arrangement of watertight port holes 4.0 and is provided also with a normally closed exit through which the men may make their escape when necessary or whereby access for other purposes may had to the interior of the buoy.

With the parts arranged as shown in the drawii'ig, the upper end of the buoy may constitute the equivalent of an ordinary coiu-' ning tower of that type in which the observer may be stationed for direct view when the ship is lying cooperating at or adjacent the surface oi? the water. .Vheu, however, observation is to be made from above the surface of the water when the ship is at any considerable distance below the surface, the buoy is permitted to rise from its normal position by releasing the cable ill and per i'uitting it to slip through the guioe member 14-, the lower or inner end of the cable, however, being controlled by the power devices for the purpose of controlling the action of the buoy and returning: it to position within the casing. llnder ordinary condition the space below the cooperating shoulders 28 and 30 empty of water whereby one or more men may pass through the trap doors if) and into the buoy, such doors being thereafter closed and sealed as described. Since the lower portion of the casing is empty of water and the buoy supported above the shoulder 28 is subjected to enormous Water pressure when the ship is below the surface, I. provide a bypass is around the shoulders so as to permit water to pass from the outside to the inside of the casing, establishing eouiilibrium of pressures above and below the packing shoulders. This bypass is provided with a uorumlly closed valve l3 adz1pted. however, to be opened by any suitable means either within the buoy or within the hull of the vessel. ljl hen such equilibrium. is established, the buoy will be lifted by the buoyancy of the water in an obvious manner.

As a means of escape from u stranded submarine, for example, it is essential that the lust man or group of men shall have means of escape through the buoy. Such last group of men obviously will manipulate the power machinery to return the buoyto its normal place, pump the Water from the sealed portion of the casing, andfihen enter the buoy and lock themselves therein. In order for them, therefore, to open the valve 43 to odmit water into the casino", 1 provide a pair of contact rings all extending around the caslug above the shoulder 28 or at suitable locationto be bridged by a movable contact memher 4-5 shown as housed normally Within a pocket 46 within the buoy. W hen all. is in readiness, the contact piece 45 may be forced outwardly against the force of the spring 47 bridging the contact rings and causing the valve 1 .3 to be electrically operated. The

electric devices just described are so constructed and arranged as to be neither demziged by nor interfere with the manipulation of the buoy in the usual manner. When the power cable 31 is drawn downwardly to return the buoy to place, the point 32 will always be drawn into the open mouth of the casing and the reinforcement ribs 27 will strengthen this portion of the buoy preventlug, damage thereto because of contact with the rim or flange 12 of the casing. The continued draft upon the cable Will cause the buoy to be seated snugly in the normal position already described irrespective of the condition of the sea or the position or movement of the submarine.

I claim En a submarine boat, the combination with thehull, of a using fitted thereinto and having on open outer end, an annular shoulder secured to the inner surface of the casingadjacent its upper end, a detachable conning tower fitted normally within the casing and having an annular shoulder cooperating with the aforesaid shoulder, forming a Watertight joint excluding the wateiufrom the lower portion of the, casing, a. normally closed by-pass cz'u'ried by the casiiig -a11d communicating with the inner surface thereof, above and below said shoulders, said bypass being normally closed, a pair'of spaced.

contact rings carried by the casing above the shoulders, a movable contact piece carried by the conning tower and projectable outwardly therefrom by pressure applied upon the inside of the conning tower to connect the contact rings, and means whereby when sal d rings are connected the by-pass will be opened to admit water to portion of the casing.

v CARL KAEMP Witnesses:

JOHN H. SHAVER,

- OTIS O. SHAVER.

FER.

the lower 

